Abhishek Sharma Sets T20I Record: ICC Player of the Month Nomination Explained

Abhishek Sharma's Record-Breaking September

Indian opener abhishek sharma has emerged as a dominant force in T20 international cricket, leading to his nomination for the ICC Men's Player of the Month for September 2026. Sharma's inclusion in the shortlist follows a prolific run where he smashed 229 runs across four T20Is, marked by a historic performance against Afghanistan.

The highlight of his month was a blistering 108 off 34 balls at the Ferozeshah Kotla. During this innings, Sharma recorded a century in just 30 balls, establishing a new benchmark for explosive batting in India. This feat not only makes him the fastest Indian to reach a T20I century—surpassing Rohit Sharma's 35-ball record from 2017—but also marks the fastest century by any batter representing an ICC Full-Member nation [1].

India's Dominance in ICC Nominations

The September nominations highlight a period of significant success for Indian cricket across both men's and women's formats. A total of four Indians have been shortlisted for the monthly awards, showcasing depth in both batting and bowling.

Men's Shortlist

• Abhishek Sharma: Nominated for his record-breaking T20I form. Having previously won the award in September of the prior year, he is looking to claim the honour again.
• Shubman Gill: The India captain is eyeing his fifth Player of the Month award after scoring 333 runs in two ODIs against the West Indies, including the fastest ODI double-century ever (223 off 133 balls) [2].
• Sikandar Raza: The Zimbabwe captain rounds out the men's trio.

Women's Shortlist

• Shafali Verma: The opener accumulated 360 runs at a strike rate of 184.61, leading India's successful Women's Asia Cup campaign.
• Sree Charani: The spinner claimed 18 wickets in seven T20Is and reached 817 rating points, the highest ever recorded in the ICC Women's T20I Bowling Rankings.
• Chamari Athapaththu: The Sri Lanka captain completes the women's shortlist.

How the Winner is Decided

The final decision for the ICC Player of the Month is not based solely on statistics but through a weighted voting system. An independent ICC Voting Academy, consisting of journalists, former players, and broadcasters, holds 90% of the voting power, while registered fans contribute the remaining 10% via the official ICC website. Winners are typically announced during the second week of the following month.